


Paradoxical Predicament

by scifi (orphan_account)



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, let's ignore how moffat tried to erase rose with 11, like i refuse to believe he got over her so quickly., set during series 5 when it's just amy and 11
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2021-01-23 14:33:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21321751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/scifi
Summary: in which rose shows up in eleven's tardisp.s: this oneshot is set after Vincent and the Doctor for the Doctor and Amy although set prior to Turn Left but after Partners in Crime for Rose~[originally written in 2016]
Relationships: The Doctor (Doctor Who)/Rose Tyler
Kudos: 37





	Paradoxical Predicament

There was something in the air and Amy Pond just couldn't put her finger on what it was. The temperature in the TARDIS was perfect yet the hairs on her skin prickled as if it was the middle of winter. She was sitting on the steps in the console room; eyes trained on the Doctor while he calibrated the time ship. Every now and then he would glance up at her, eyes hidden by his floppy brown hair and give her a smile, which would extenuate his chin.

"Almost done with the calibrations Pond," the Doctor reassured. 

Running a hand through her ginger hair, Amy gave him a smile, "Next stop Fiji." 

"Fiji," he agreed, grinning while hands skimmed across the various bits and bobs that made up the console.

Amy was about to ask about what time zone they would land in when the TARDIS let out a wail and the room went dark. As if an outside force had pushed them, she was thrown off her spot on the steps and onto the ground. "Doctor?" she called out into the darkness. 

"I'm here!" he shouted back. "Something happened to the TARDIS."

"Oh really? Thought this was normal," she growled back at him. 

"If I could only get some light in here," the Doctor muttered before the TARDIS wailed once more. It was followed by a little green light and the familiar buzzing sound of the sonic screwdriver. He swished it along the surface of the console, hoping this scans would tell him what had happened. 

The Doctor didn't need to wait for the sonic to assess the situation because a third voice told him all he needed.

"Doctor?"

It was the voice from his past, from so long ago. The melodic sound that hadn't graced his ears since when he had donned the pinstripe suit. His two hearts skipped a beat and if it wasn't for the console that he held onto, the Doctor would have crumpled to the floor due to his legs giving way.

"Who's that?" Amy's voice was first to respond, "Hello?"

The Doctor wanted to tell her that it was the voice that echoed through his dreams, the voice that he had lost long ago. He wanted to tell her but when the Doctor tried to form his thoughts into words, no sound came from his lips. 

"Rose Tyler," the voice responded as if she needed no introduction.

Fiddling with his sonic, the Doctor scanned the console again. This time the sonic brought back the lights in the console room but kept the TARDIS non-functional. 

His eyes found hers almost instinctively and he almost let out a gasp when he noticed that she hadn't changed. Rose Tyler had quite literally not changed since he left her back at Bad Wolf Bay. She still wore the blue jacket, her hair still soft golden and her eyes looked young yet wise.

He watched as Rose's eyes widened at the sight of him, mouth became slightly agape. She was on the other side of the console and from his distance, the Doctor watched as her breaths became quick and shallow.

"Rose," the Doctor managed to struggle out after too many superfluous seconds passed them by. 

"You've changed," she whispered.

"You haven't," he countered back.

Rose then broke into a grin as her eyes became waterlogged.

He thought he'd never see her after the last time. He had thought that seeing Rose on the new year's night of 2005, prior to her even knowing him, had been their very last. The Doctor had been wrong because in the TARDIS, months after seeing her face the final time, Rose Tyler had returned.

"Come here you," he extended his arms just as her tears spilt into a half-laugh-half-sob. She skidded around the console and into his welcoming arms, wrapping herself tightly around him.

"You feel different," she told him into his tweed jacket. Although she didn't mind because he was the Doctor after all.

"Rose," the Doctor whispered, barely louder than a breath as he wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her flaxen hair, breathing in the gorgeous scent that was Rose Tyler; something he had been deprived with for so long.

They stayed like that, Rose's head in his chest as she sobbed and giggled while the Doctor took in what it felt like to hug his former companion. It was bliss, the Doctor was content until he heard his current companion clear her throat.

"Doctor?" Amy asked, "mind explaining?"

Eyes landed on Amy, his fair eyebrows raised in confusion before realising that he had never really dwelled on former companions while with her.

"Oh, this is Rose Tyler," the Doctor loosened his grip on Rose and in turn, the blonde-haired woman let go of the Doctor in favour of standing beside him. "We used to travel together during my prior regeneration as well as the one before it."

"I'm Amy Pond, the Doctor's current companion. I met him when he crashed his TARDIS into my backyard back when I was a kid," she waved at Rose and gave her a smile. 

"You know Rose," the Doctor pointed out. "You could have at least changed clothes since the last time we met."

"Change clothes?" Rose asked, brows furrowing out of confusion. "Last time I saw you I was wearing a black jacket. Has your memory become rusty since then?"

"No it was that blue jacket," the Doctor confirmed, "and I would never forget even a moment with you."

Rose gave him a look of disbelief and it took a few moments before the Doctor's mouth dropped open and eyes flew wide open.

"Oh," he frowned.

"What is it?" Amy asked, taking a few steps towards him.

"A paradoxical predicament," he told her, voice flat. When both Amy and Rose didn't respond, the Doctor explained again, "timey-wimey." 

This time they both understood. Rose placed a hand on the Doctor's arm, "What's wrong, Doctor?"

"I don't know if I can tell you. It might ruin the timeline _or_ this might have been what had happened and I have to tell you."

"Tell me what?" Rose asked with growing urgency.

"How long have you been testing the dimension canon?" he asked her, green eyes studied her own hazel with an inquisitive nature.

"A few days," she told him slowly. "How do you know about that?"

Sighing, the Doctor closed his eyes and thought. His mind whirred with all the possible outcomes of the situation. His Rose, the one before him was younger than when they had first met again in that deserted street. He had to tread careful waters because even if he slipped up on a single word he would upset the paradox, destroy fixed points. She had yet to meet him yet he had met her. It was too hard for the Doctor because all he wanted to do was embrace Rose once more. He wanted to kiss her, make up for stolen moments. He wanted to sweep her away, bring her to Fiji; the first stop in their second round of travelling the stars. He was sure the Amy wouldn't mind. She had teased him several times about his lack of romance. The Doctor decided that Amy would like Rose almost as much as he did.

Of course, he couldn't think like that. He couldn't sweep her off her feet and take Rose dancing through the stars. She had to leave him in order to meet him again; meet the younger him whose hand fit perfectly in hers. 

"Rose," the Doctor began, "in your future – my past – you meet me again. The younger me: your Doctor. I can usually see fixed points, paradoxes and when timelines part but your dimension canon must have interfered. When I look at you I see no warnings or hints. I don't know if this happened or if it is an anomaly. I don't know how much I can tell you."

"What are you trying to say?" Rose asked; her hand tightened around his arms as if she didn't want to ever let go. 

Looking straight into her eyes that shone from bygone tears as well as those soon to fall, the Doctor explained as best he could without revealing too much. "I'm sorry Rose but you have to go back to Torchwood – back to the other universe. You'll find me eventually and we'll save the world but you and I can't be. You must have been over the moon when you locked onto the TARDIS so early into testing the canon but you can't stay here. You have an earth to defend and a pinstripe wearing Doctor to find."

"Doctor," Rose pulled him into their second hug. She remembered the times when her face used to meet black leather or the soft pinstripe suits. Resting her head on tweed, which felt coarse against her skin, just didn't feel right. He was the Doctor but not her Doctor. As much as she tried not to think about it, Rose knew this Doctor had already said his goodbyes. Her finding him in the most inopportune of moments must have dug up memories he had tried to hide away. "I understand, well at least I think I do."

"I'm sorry," he told her but Rose immediately replied,

"Don't be, I'm the one that came too far. It was a glitch in the canon that we'll fix."

Squeezing her small body closer to him, the Doctor whispered in her hair, "I miss you so much. Don't let the fact that Amy didn't know you put you off finding me. I can't go a day without you in my thoughts and I don't think that will ever change."

Their skin began to prickle and near the hugging pair, Amy shuddered involuntarily, "is it cold in here or am I just imagining it?"

Pulling herself off the Doctor, Rose responded, "That's the dimension canon. I gave them five minutes until they had to pull me back." Facing the Doctor she told him, "I don't have long." 

He wanted to tell her so many things. He wanted to tell her of all his adventures, ask her what she thought about the new TARDIS interior, about her new baby brother and if Jack Harkness was a member of Torchwood on the parallel Earth. He had so much to say but the Doctor knew that he had already been given more time with Rose than he had already hoped for.

Taking her hands with his own, the Doctor pointed out quietly, "Our hands no longer fit perfectly."

Rose gently squeezed his hands, "they have another hand to hold." She then gestured over to Amy.

"We're not like that!" the Doctor told her.

Sensing as if it was her turn to input, Amy piped in, "as if I'd date someone with no eyebrows. Sorry, Doc."

Chuckling at the two of them, Rose was going to add to the topic but she paused when an electrifying sound filled the room, followed by a bright white light filling up the entrance to the TARDIS.

"Guess this is goodbye?" the Doctor asked, forcing a small smile onto his face although deep down he knew that he felt opposite to a smile. 

"Guess so," Rose frowned, "but not really since I _will _see you again."

"I'm looking forward to it," the Doctor's eyes lit up. "Hey Rose, have one for the road."

Her eyebrows furrowed at his phrasing but before she could question what he meant by 'have one for the road', his lips were pressed against hers in a quick and gentle kiss.

When he pulled away, Rose was left smiling, "Do I get to do that again?" 

"Spoilers," he smiled back, "Now go on you, go back to Torchwood so you can find your Doctor."

Rose pulled the Doctor into once last quick hug, "See ya," she said to him before walking towards the light, making sure to say goodbye to Amy as she passed by.

When Rose Tyler walked back into the light, which pulled her back to the parallel universe, the Doctor felt his heart sink. It was a pleasure to see his pink and yellow girl once more but it hurt to say goodbye. He had to let her go if his past self was to see her again and in a way, he knew that this regeneration wasn't meant to be with Rose. Their hands no longer fitted perfectly together and although she didn't say, he knew that she probably found his tweed coats and bow ties unfashionable. 

For every companion that the Doctor lost, he always felt some sort of guilt but with Rose, he felt something more. In a way, they always broke his hearts but none had broken it as she had. The Rose he just saw was yet to go through their final departure. She was yet to wind up on Bad Wolf Bay for the final time. It had only been a few years since their journey had ended but after seeing the human that broke his hearts so deeply, the Doctor felt as if no moments had passed since then. 

"Are you alright?" Amy asked when the light had vanished and the air had returned to normal.

The Doctor, whose eyes still lingered where Rose Tyler last was, at the entrance to the time ship, did nothing but shrug. 

"Well mister," Amy stepped up beside him and placed a comforting hand on top of his own, "I think it's time you told me everything about Rose Tyler."


End file.
